Evolution vs. Divinity
Over the past ten days, the weather has been particularly disagreeable, for this time of year in San Francisco.
On a handful of occasions, I woke up shivering in the middle of the night due to the frosty night air (a post on poorly maintained hotels is on the horizon), and was drenched to the bone because of torrential rains which swept in off the bay without much warning (the only thing I hate more than sudden bursts of rain is a five dollar umbrella snatched up last-minute which I usually lose two hours later or nearly get poked in the eye with when a strong gust of air blows it inside out).
Yes, I also fell victim to a bout of chills, too.
For this reason, my doctor prescribed an antibiotic, vicodin, and a potent cough syrup to quell the storm raging inside of me.
There has been a fall-out in other respects as well.
Because I am not one to rely on drugs as a cure-all for this 'n that - I have little resistance to their persuasive powers, and hence, end up dozing off into a deep slumber now and then.
At night in my cozy bed - during the fJay Leno show - that's A-okay.
Comes with the territory!
But, when I am at the movies?
Last night was one of those unfortunate occasions when I was weaker than my foe.
Shortly after I handed an usher my ticket for "Creation" - the new release on Charles Darwin - I glided into my plush theatre seat enthused about the celluloid possibilities.
Dashed hopes and good intentions!
Just after the credits rolled to a close, and the first lush scene sprang to life in all its glory on the silver screen, I slipped away into dreamland.
I was out cold until the main character( Darwin) uttered his last words in the final scene.
At that juncture, I was wide awake, and found myself following every last crumb offered up (which consisted of a long crawl of credits and a score that was heaven to the ears).
As I reflected on the humor of it all, I suddenly recoiled in horror, a tad.
What if I snored?
OMG!
How embarrassing.
Of course, because I've never heard myself sleep, I don't know whether I do or don't.
If so, I pray fellow film buffs will be more forgiving than moi.
When I was quite a bit younger - and lovers threw themselves at my feet (oh yeah!) - I actually ended a great relationship with someone I adored.
Why, pray tell?
Their snoring was horrific; so much so,that I couldn't fall back to sleep when they woke me up in the middle of the night time and time again.
I distinctly recall that Ann Landers once noted to one of her readers - who agonized over a snoring issue - that the problem occurred due to the position they were inclined to sleep in.
"Just give your boyfriend a shove. Once they adjust in bed, the snoring will stop."
I tried that - but the wild animal sounds not only continued - but got louder and more violent in nature.
Nuff said.
For a moment, just before I shuffled on out, I considered hatching a plot to sneak back into the Theatre for the next screening (sans ticket, of course).
Just dash into the restroom, hang out in the cubicle 'til everyone is seated ,and sneak in later after the first preview has started up.
But I scratched that scandalous notion; after all, I've gotten so famous that people recognize me on sight (especially those pimply-faced ushers who tend to be sharp as a tack).
Before you can say "gossip monger" the word would be out about me uptown, downtown, and - naturally - on the Internet.
For a sec, I pondered whether I should pull a Roger Ebert, though.
If you recall, a few months ago he fessed that he reviewed a film he never even cast a hairy-eye on.
Subsequnently, a controversy hit the old fan.
Gosh, what a dilemma!
Guess I'll just have to catch "Creation" once again (on DVD?).
In the interim, I may as well finish this review in a novel way.
When I was studying English literature, my professor was insistent that including a quote (or the opinions of others in an essazy)) would carry a lot of weight (and add a professional touch).
Why not test the theory?
David Germian (AP film critic) asserted that "Creation" was about Evolution vs. Divinity.
"A pretty small film considering its huge themes," he mused.
Another critic pointed out that Creation has caused a bit of a controversy in respect to Christian values.
Movieguide.org, - a Web site that reviews films from a Christian perspective - bashed the feature film as “a one-sided bit of propaganda."
Benjamin Radford at Discovery News went a step farther and tried to fathom the alleged controversy.
"Never before has the threat of Darwin’s ideas to creationism been so clearly depicted in a mainstream movie. While other films have downplayed or glossed over the friction between "On the Origin of Species" and the Bible, Creation tackles it head-on," he asserted in his report on the film and its impact since it went into widespread release.
It's crystal clear to me that it was obviously the painkillers (gobbled down for medicinal purposes) - and not the film - that put me to sleep.
Even though I believe wholeheartedly in intelligent design (created by the inviisible hand of God) I intend to give it another shot.
Amen!
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